Year 2
We have made significant progress on developing human stem cell based systems to probe the causes and features of Alzheimer’s Disease. We are focusing on using human embryonic and human pluripotent stem cell lines carrying genetic changes that cause hereditary Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In one approach, we have made progress by developing iPS cells carrying small genetic changes in the presenilin 1 gene, which cause severe early onset AD. We also made substantial progress on developing methods to measure the distribution within neurons of products linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. Finally, we have completed development of a cell sorting method to purify neuronal stem cells, neurons, and glia from human embryonic stem cells and human IPS cells. Together, these methods should allow us to continue making progress on using pluripotent human stem cells to probe the molecular basis for how cellular changes found in neurons in the brain of AD patients are generated. In addition, these methods we are developing are moving us closer to having sources of normal and AD human neurons generated in the laboratory for drug-testing and development.